Flow measurement apparatus



meted Man 12,1940 2,193,762

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE now MEASUREMENT APPARATUS Joel H. Hirsch and Emmon Bach, New York, N. Y., assignors to Luis dc Florez, New York, N. Y.

Application December 24, 1937, Serial No. 181,518

2 Claims. (01. 73204) The invention herein disclosed relates to A displacement meter is indicated in the water measurement of the flow of fluids. supply line at 6, and if required, a constant pres- The measurement of some fluids involves spesure valve and orifice may beprovided to insure cial difiiculties for which no satisfactory soludesired constant rate of flow. tion has been found. One definite example is The amount of heat exchanged is translated 5 the measurement of the heavy residual oils or into electrical values in the illustration, by diftar undergoing processing in oil refining operferential thermocouples I, 8, at the entrance and ations. Measurement by flowing to measuring exit ends of the hot oil passage I, and differential tanks is undesirable and many times impossible thermocouples 9, ID, at the entrance and exit because of the non-availability of such tanks and ends of the water jacket 2. 10.

because of heat losses and other objections re- These thermocouples are shown as mounted in sulting from removing the hot oil from the norwells provided by the elbows or T-fittings H, l2, mal processing flow. Available types of flow mel3, M, which by effecting change in direction of ters such as orifice and displacement meters are flow also create a certain degree of turbulence l5 unsuitable because of coke and other gritty matand mixing to maintain substantial uniformity in ter ordinarily present in such heavy oils and temperature throughout the cross section of flow which may plug the difierential lines of an orifice at t IOCetiOn o e thermocouplemeter or ruin the moving parts of a displace- Balancing of the electrical values generated by r t meter. the two sets of thermocouples to ascertain the 2 Special objects of the present invention are to ratio of w of l to Water is effected by conaccomplish the accurate measurement of the fleeting t difl'el'ential thermocouples iIi p flow of a fluid under diificulties such as menrate potentiom r ir and y balancing tioned and to do so without impeding the flow these circuits against a circuit common to both or impairing th operations under way, and having a variable control reading in terms 5 The measurement of the flow of liquids of a of t ocorrosive nature presents another problem which Thermocouples 9, are shown as having a t present invention h b designed t solve common connection I5, and separate connections Measurement of flow is accomplished in the H, to junction bOX From e junction present invention by heat exchange between the bOX terminals cennections run to the movfluid t b m asured and a, fluid whose r t f able switch arm 2|, of a potentiometer slide wire 30 flow is known, through conversion of the tem- 22, a d o a e lv nometer c n ecte t rou h perature differences to electrical values and the fixed resistance 24, with one end of said slide balancing of such values to obtain the ratio of Wire the unknown flow to that of the known flow. The water thermocouples are shown as t il of the i ti ill appear as t having a common connection 25, and separate 35 specification proceeds. connections 26, 27, to junction box terminals,

The drawing accompanying and forming part from whence extend connections 28, 29, to galvaof the specification illustrates one practical form nometer 23, and to adjustable arm 30, of poof apparatus for carrying out the invention. The tentiometer slide wire 3!. o particular m a d a ran e e t o pa ts may be A switch is indicated at 32, for completing 40 Varledhowever, all Wlthll} the true mtent and either one circuit or the other through the galbroad scope of the invention as hereinafter devanometer, enabling this single instrument to fined and broadly claimed. serve as n di a The single figure in the drawing is a graphic circmis nu m c tor for both potentmme 5 illustration of one simple embodlment of the in- The comparison circuit which is common to vention.

In the illustration, a heat exchanger is indiboth pptentmmeter clrcmts includes m thls lustration, a source of potential such as a battery cated in the form of a section of i l, ada ted to be interposed in a hot oil flow and ha vin 33, a fixed resistance 34, and a battery rheostat about it a jacket 2, for the measuring fluid, usualin series with the two potentiometer 1y water. Thi jacketi shown as having asupply sistances 22, 3i, through a common connection inlet 3 and an outlet 4, and usually will have some 35, between the latter resistances d w ich 6011- form of expansion joint such as indicat d t 5 nection includes the fixed resistance 24. The The whole may be suitably insulated to prevent vanome s Shown as Connected at in 65 loss of heat by radiation. this common connection at a point between fixed resistance 24, and the second potentiometer resistance 3|.

In the present example, the fiuid to be measured, hot tar, has a specific gravity and a specific heat of a value less than those of the measuring fluid, water. Based on equal volume fiow, the temperature rise of the water therefore will not be as great as the temperature drop of the tar, since the same quantity of heat is manifested by a greater change in temperature in the tar than in the water.

The differential thermocouples in eifect detect the temperature changes in each fluid resulting from heat exchange and convert these to corresponding electrical values. With the specific heat and specific gravity of both fluids known and the quantity of measuring fluid also known, it is possible by comparing the electrical values corresponding to such temperature changes to directly determine the quantity of fluid being measured. The volume can thus be ascertained without first determining the actual temperature differences in the two fluids, it being sufilcient only to have the electrical effect of their temperature changes.

Inasmuch as the temperature-E. M. F. relation of thermocouples is not a linear function, it is desirable for accuracy of the measurement to take into account the ratio of thermo-electric E. M. F.s per degree at the existing temperature of the two fiuids. The electrical values corresponding to the temperature differences will be modified to this extent.

The problem is simplified by the method outlined above and in which the ratio of the net E. M. F.'s of the thermocouples are balanced by a known ratio of voltage drops, fundamentally the potentiometer circuits of the diagram.

In a series circuit, the current flowing in all parts is the same and the ratio of voltage drop across any portions of the resistance of the circuit is however directly proportional to the ratio of such resistances. Therefore, resistances of any desired values may be selected and then by comparing their relative values under conditions of balance the ratio of the quantities of the two fiuids may be directly obtained.

To consider a specific example, the fluid to be measured may be assumed to be hot tar at a mean temperature of 600 F., a specific gravity of .95 and a specific heat of .65, with water as the measuring fiuid having a mean temperature of F., a specific gravity of 1 and a specific heat of 1.

The factor resistance A-B, that is between the point of adjustment of slide arm 2| and the common potentiometer connection 37, may be taken as numerically equal to K derived according to the formula where Sw=specific gravity of measuring fiuid (water). Cw=specific heat of measuring fluid. e means thermocouple E. M. F. per degree F. of measuring fiuid (.029 mv. 100 F.)

'S=specific gravity of measured fiuid (hot tar). C=specific heat of measured fiuid. E=mean thermocouple E. M. F. per degree F.

of measured fiuid (.030 mv. 600 F.). (Value of e and E from thermo-electric tables for Iron Constantan thermocouples.) Substituting:

Sp. gr. Sp. ht. Mv. per F.

Assuming the slide wire factor resistance 22 to be 1 ohm, the fixed resistance 24 1 ohm and the ratio slide wire resistance ii 10 ohms, then with K ascertained to be 1.675 ohms, the switch arm 2| is set to the position designated 1.675 on the factor potentiometer.

After setting the factor potentiometer to effect the compensation for specific heat, specific gravity and mean E. M. F. as described, the throw-over switch 32 should be in the left hand position indicated and the battery rheostat 35, be adjusted until the voltage drop through the resistance A--B balances the net E. M. F, of the tar differential thermocouples I, 8, as will be evidenced by the null position of the galvanometer. This operation also automatically compensates for any ghange of the battery E. M. F. through deteriora- Then upon throwing switch 32 to the right, without changing the adjustment of the battery rheostat or disturbing the factor potentiometer, the switch arm 30 of the ratio potentiometer may be adjusted to a position of galvanometer balance. At such time, the ratio of tar to water flowing will be indicated directly by the value of resistance B-C, in other words the position of the arm on the potentiometer scale and which latter may be calibrated in terms of direct ratio.

Continuing the example:

If T=rate of flow of measured fluid.

W=rate of fiow of measuring fiuid. AE=E. M. F. corresponding to AT (temperature difference of measured fluid). Ae=E. M. F. corresponding to At (temperature difference of measuring fluid). then Assuming further W (flow of water) =10 bbl. per hr.

At=30 F. (entrance temperature 80 F.; exit temperature F.).

AT=5 F. (entrance temperature 600 F.; exit temperature 595 F.).

Substituting T: 1.675(30X.029)l0 From the foregoing it will be seen that in practical use of the invention it is only necessary to set the factor potentiometer 2|, 22 or see that it is properly set for the factors involved, specific gravities, specific heats and mean E. M. R's per degree of the measuring and measured fluid thermocouples, then, with the switch to the left, adjust the battery voltage at 35 until the galvanometer is balanced, indicating that the IR drop in the battery circuit between potentiometer slide 2| and point 31 is equal to the net E. M. F. of the differential thermocouples 1, 8, then to throw switch 32 to the right and adjust the ratio potentiometer 30, 3| for galvanometer balance, at which time the 1R drop between point 31 and slide 30 will be equal to the net E. M. F. of the differential thermocouples 9, In. As the current in the battery circuit is unchanged and of the same value at all points therein it follows that the voltage drop in any portion of this circuit is directly proportional to the resistance embraced. Hence with both thermocouple E. M. F.s balanced against the drop through their respective resistances, the ratio of fiows may be determined directly. The rate of flow of the measuring fiuid being indicated =97.15 bbl. per hour by meter 6 it is only necessary to apply that value according to the ratio indicated-inthe present example, ten (bbls. per hour of water) times 9.715, (the ratio shown on-the potentiometer) or 97.15 (bbls. of tar per hour). If the measuring fluid flow rate were one bbl. per hour the flow rate or the measured fluid would be then 9.715 bbls. per hour, the potentiometer then becoming actually a direct reading instrument.

While particularly useful for measurement of flow of hot' oil, corrosive and other fluids which can not be measured by usual methods, the invention, it will be appreciated may be applied to flow measurement of any fluids.

The invention indicates volume of measured fluid directly in terms of ratio to the known volume of measuring fluid, without requiring knowledge of actual temperature values. The reading is direct, requiring no computation or reference to tables, charts or records. Accuracy of measurement therefore is not subject to error 01 calculations and the like. Furthermore, since relativerather than actual temperature difierences are controlling, variations in efficiency of the heat exchanger and other possibly variable factors have no effect on the accuracy or reliability of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for measurement of flowing fluid, comprising a heat exchanger having passages for the fluid to be measured and for a measuring fluid, thermocouple wells at the entrance and exit ends of said passages. thermocouples mounted I in said wells and means connected with said ther'- mocouples for indicating the ratio of the electrical force of one set of thermocouples to the electrical. force of the other set of said thermocouples, including a potentiometer circuit adjustable for speciflc heat, connected with the fluid to be measured thermocouples, a potentiometer circuit variable to indicate ratio of one fluid flow to the other connected with the measuring fluid thermocouples and a balancing circuit common to said potentiometer circuits and including balance indicating means.

2. Apparatus for measurement-of flowing fluid, comprising a heat exchanger having passages for the fluid to be measured and for a measuring fluid, differential thermocouples at the entrance and exit ends of said heat exchanger passages and means connected with said difierential thermocouples for indicating the ratio of the electrical force or one set of differential thermocouples to the electrical force of the other set of differential thermocouples, including a potentiometer circuit adjustable for specific heat, connected with the fluid to be measured thermocouples, a potentiometer circuit variable in accordance with ratio of.

one fluid flow to the other, connected with the measuring fluid thermocouples and a balancing circuit common to said potentiometer circuits.

JOEL H. HIRSCH. EMMON BACH. 

